Joe Cinque's Consolation (film)

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 75% based on reviews from 16 critics.^[2]

Reviewing the film for The Sydney Morning Herald, Paul Byrne wrote that it was intriguing in dramatic terms, "but not entirely satisfying".^[11] Reviewing for The Guardian, Luke Buckmaster gave the film two stars, describing its adaptation of the book as "one Herculean stretch" but also "level-headed, a sobering portrait of a tragedy intentionally bereft of narrative bells and whistles.".^[12]

Academic Dirk de Bruyn found the film engaging, and called it "mature and intelligent", and "riveting Australian cinema".^[13] Rochelle Siemienowicz praised elements of the film's cinematography, and wrote that the mentality of the times was captured realistically, while lamenting that the dialogue delivered by Sacha Joseph as Madhavi Rao made the character seem robotic.^[14] Sandra Hall wrote that Joe Cinque is the only comprehensible character in the film, giving it three stars.^[15]

Richard Kuipers, writing for Variety in North America, gave a positive review: "[The film] offers a moody and compelling study of the facts while leaving audiences to draw their own conclusions to the burning question of why people would act like this". He went on to praise the performances by the two leads, as well as the technical details of the film, particularly the cinematography and score, stating: "Cinematographer Simon Chapman contrasts his warm lensing of intimate scenes with deliberately plain imagery of Canberra’s flat and uninteresting suburban landscape. Antonio Gambale's fine score slides nicely from bouncy rhythms in early, happy times to brooding soundscapes as Singh’s monstrous plan takes shape. All other tech work is solid."

Writing in The Hollywood News, Jazmine Sky Bradley gave the film four stars, saying it was "a gripping true crime drama not to miss".^[16] Richard Gray at The Reel Bits gave it 4½ stars and described it as "a complex love story, a plot for murder and an intense character study".^[17] Reviewing the film for the ABC, Jason Di Rosso found that "the film's unsettling power lies in the question it poses about active and passive responsibility" and called it "a dark and thought-provoking film that will linger with you long after the credits roll.”^[18]

Australian author Christos Tsiolkas praised the film in The Saturday Paper, writing that "the great strength of the film is in its quiet purposefulness", and that "though it pivots on a different set of questions to those that animate Garner’s book, they are both works of scrupulousness and integrity".^[19] Forensic psychiatrist Dr Russ Scott examined the legal and psychological aspects of the film in Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, praising the film's "prodigious research", "accomplished direction" and "strong performances" and concluding that "Joe Cinque’s Consolation, superbly acted and exquisitely nuanced, stands out as an example of Australian cinema at its very best."^[20]

Maggie Naouri was nominated for Best Actress at the 6th AACTA Awards, but lost to Odessa Young for The Daughter.

• Joe Cinque's Consolation at IMDb